I’m sure, like me, you take time to ensure your home is clean.  We want our families to be safe from sickness as well as keeping our home as nice as possible.

However, there are many areas in our homes we may not even realize are dirty! Here are some places you may want to start cleaning:

Remote Controls. Yep, everyone touches them, often times while eating. Reports even say that remotes in hotel rooms are the dirtiest thing to touch in a room! So, as often as you can use disinfectant wipes to clean (and take a package of them with you when you travel). You can also use a cotton swab dampened with rubbing alcohol to clean germs without damaging delicate buttons.

Computer Keyboard and Mouse. Very similar to remote controls, our hands are on our faces, food, etc. and then we type an email. Yuck, they probably are swimming with germs! As with remotes, use disinfectant wipes or rubbing alcohol.  Make sure you unplug first.

Refrigerator Handle. Germs can live on refrigerator handles for at least two days! Apply a small amount of dishwashing soap to a damp cloth or sponge to wipe away bacteria. Avoid using bleach or other harsh cleaners to prevent it from getting in your food. I usually use a spray cleaner that I also use on my counters.

Kitchen Sponge/Towel. This is a sure place where bacteria can live especially if the sponge smells. Place a wet sponge into the microwave for a minute and a half to kill bugs, or run it through the dishwasher and replace it regularly. I do not use dish towels because they can pick up all kinds of germs. I also am a HUGE proponent for using paper towels after washing hands (after you come home from work/school or after cutting up raw meat) rather than a kitchen towel.  Why? Because you throw away the paper towel and germs while the germs stay on a kitchen towel that will be used again. Kitchen towels carry nasty microbes. University of Arizona researchers found 89 percent of kitchen rags carried coli form bacteria, and a quarter tested positive for E. coli. I do use the kitchen towel if my hands are already washed and I’m just cooking. I also like to have one sponge for dishes and one for counters. And needless to say, sponges for the bathroom are just for that!

Kitchen Sink. Your kitchen sink is one of the germiest places in your home, with about 18,000 bacteria per square inch. In comparison, the kitchen floor in front of the sink has, on average, 830 bacteria per square inch. Raw meat, raw fish or what’s left of dinner – the sink has plenty of growing bacteria. I use SoftScrub on a sponge to clean my sink but you may give it a scrub with baking soda, then followed up with a white vinegar soak. Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to warm water, or place vinegar-saturated paper towels in the sink for 15 minutes to completely sanitize.

Cutting Boards. These must always be clean because you are placing food directly on them. I place mine in the dishwasher but if you have a wooden board, use vinegar to gently disinfect it instead of soap which can wear it down.  Scrub with a baking soda paste and salt for a deep clean. Also, whenever you are cutting up any raw meat, you may want to use a cutting board used for that purpose only. Make sure you do not touch anything while cutting the meat, not even the faucet. Use your arms. Then put the cutting board and all utensils immediately in the dishwasher.

There are still more places that are dirty that we don’t even know about so I’ll share those in the next blog.

Until then, keep it clean!

Manna from Heaven

Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:10-11